Identifying transformational space for transdisciplinarity: using art to access the hidden third.

A challenge for transdisciplinary sustainability science is learning how to bridge diverse worldviews among collaborators in respectful ways. A temptation in transdisciplinary work is to focus on improving scientific practices rather than engage research partners in spaces that mutually respect how we learn from each other and set the stage for change. We used the concept of Nicolescu's "Hidden Third" to identify and operationalize this transformative space, because it focused on bridging "objective" and "subjective" worldviews through art. Between 2014 and 2017, we explored the engagement of indigenous peoples from three inland delta regions in Canada and as a team of interdisciplinary scholars and students who worked together to better understand long-term social-ecological change in those regions. In working together, we identified five characteristics associated with respectful, transformative transdisciplinary space. These included (1) establishing an unfiltered safe place where (2) subjective and objective experiences and (3) different world views could come together through (4) interactive and (5) multiple sensory experiences. On the whole, we were more effective in achieving characteristics 2-5-bringing together the subjective and objective experiences, where different worldviews could come together-than in achieving characteristic 1-creating a truly unfiltered and safe space for expression. The novelty of this work is in how we sought to change our own engagement practices to advance sustainability rather than improving scientific techniques. Recommendations for sustainability scientists working in similar contexts are provided.

Mercury trends in colonial waterbird eggs downstream of the oil sands region of Alberta, Canada.

Mercury levels were measured in colonial waterbird eggs collected from two sites in northern Alberta and one site in southern Alberta, Canada. Northern sites in the Peace-Athabasca Delta and Lake Athabasca were located in receiving waters of the Athabasca River which drains the oil sands industrial region north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Temporal trends in egg mercury (Hg) levels were assessed as were egg stable nitrogen isotope values as an indicator of dietary change. In northern Alberta, California and Ring-billed Gulls exhibited statistically significant increases in egg Hg concentrations in 2012 compared to data from the earliest year of sampling. Hg levels in Caspian and Common Tern eggs showed a nonstatistically significant increase. In southern Alberta, Hg concentrations in California Gull eggs declined significantly through time. Bird dietary change was not responsible for any of these trends. Neither were egg Hg trends related to recent forest fires. Differences in egg Hg temporal trends between northern and southern Alberta combined with greater Hg levels in eggs from northern Alberta identified the likely importance of local Hg sources in regulating regional Hg trends. Hg concentrations in gull and Common Tern eggs were generally below generic thresholds associated with toxic effects in birds. However, in 2012, Hg levels in the majority of Caspian Tern eggs exceeded the lower toxicity threshold. Increasing Hg levels in eggs of multiple species nesting downstream of the oil sands region of northern Alberta warrant continued monitoring and research to further evaluate Hg trends and to conclusively identify sources.

Metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in colonial waterbird eggs from Lake Athabasca and the Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada.

In 2009, aquatic bird eggs from a variety of species were collected from three sites in northern Alberta, Canada. Two sites were located in receiving waters of the Athabasca River, which drains the oil sands industrial region north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. The third site, located on the Peace River, was remote from the influence of the Athabasca River. Levels of mercury, arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in the eggs along with nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹5N) as an indicator of bird trophic position. Levels of As and PAHs in eggs were low, whereas Hg was measureable in all samples. Egg Hg levels increased with δ¹5N values (a proxy of food web trophic position); however, some eggs exhibited Hg levels greater than expected based on trophic position. These eggs were from sites in receiving waters of the Athabasca River, namely, Mamawi Lake and Egg Island. Levels of Hg in egg pools were correlated with naphthalene levels, perhaps indicating a common source of contamination. Temporal comparison of Hg levels in California gull (Larus californicus) eggs from the Lake Athabasca colony indicated that egg Hg burdens increased 40% from 1977 to 2009. More research is required to evaluate temporal trends in levels of environmental contaminants and to identify sources.